Fish Kill Likely Caused By Mill Fire

The fire that destroyed a Springfield mill a week ago likely also caused a fish die-off in the nearby millrace.

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The fire at the Springfield mill likely caused the fish kill in the nearby millrace.

Credit Angela Kellner

Last Thursday's fire destroyed the Springfield Plywood and Veneer Mill and put 250 people out of work. The next day, the Lane County Sheriff advised people to stay out of the Springfield mill race and its confluence with the Willamette River because of large number of dead fish found in the water. The advisory was lifted over the weekend.Geoff Brown is on-scene coordinator for Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. He says test of the water after the fish kill found alkaline and low traces of chemicals used in plywood manufacture-- the fire also warmed the water.

Brown: "We had transitory conditions that were stressful enough for those fish that it killed a lot of 'em. And it was probably some combination of temperature, pH and, you know, there may have been some oxygen issues there too when the fire was going."

Brown says runoff from the water used to fight the fire ended up in the millrace. DEQ is still monitoring the area. The Springfield millrace was recently restored to improve fish and wildlife habitat.

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An abnormal number of fish deaths prompted the State of Oregon to warn people from eating fish or going in the water at the confluence of the Springfield Mill Race and Willamette River at Island Park down to Alton Baker Park.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality says dead fish have been showing up in the area and the cause of death is unknown at this time. As a precaution, people are warned to avoid the river water until more information is released. Dead fish or live ones caught in the area should not be consumed.

Lane County Emergency Management has been notified by the Department of Environmental Quality the lab results for the water samples taken from the confluence of the Springfield Mill Race and Willamette River at Island Park down to Alton Baker Park do not show any past or present public health threat. The advisory to stay out of the water has been canceled as of Sunday (7/20) morning.

An abnormal number of fish deaths prompted the State of Oregon to warn people from eating the fish or going in the water Friday. The cause of the fish deaths is still unknown.

Management at the Springfield Plywood and Veneer Mill began meeting individually with its employees Tuesday. The mill burned down last week, putting 250 people out of work. The owners are offering two possible employment alternatives at mills in Roseburg and Glendale.

Chuck Wert is the chief operating officer of Swanson Group, which owns the mill.

Wert: "As I understand it we spoke with around 60 employees today and about 40 of them that say they are interested in looking at the other job opportunities we have for them in Roseburg and Glendale."